U.S. patent number 5,338,246 [Application Number 08/044,375] was granted by the patent office on 1994-08-16 for suspension systems of vehicle toys.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Taiyo Kogyo Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Shohei Suto.
United States Patent |
5,338,246 |
Suto |
August 16, 1994 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Suspension systems of vehicle toys
Abstract
Suspension systems (10; 42; 8) operate independently of each
other on opposite sides of a vehicle toy. The systems have their
road wheels move up and down substantially without any inclination
of these wheels, and are simple in construction. Each suspension
system has an upright member (16) on which the wheel axle (13) is
fixedly mounted, an upright holder (18) for holding the upright
member (16) so as to permit it to be rotatable in a steering
operation, a rod (22) having its lower portion fixedly mounted to
the holder (18) and its upper portion guided in a guide (24) formed
in an upper portion of the body, and a compression spring (26)
interposed between the holder (18) and the guide (24). A swing arm
(20) has one end pivotally connected to the body and the other end
pivotally connected to the holder (18). The upright member (16) and
the upright holder (18) may be integrally formed as a support (82)
rotatably mounted on the lower portion of the rod.
Inventors: |
Suto; Shohei (Tokyo,
JP) |
Assignee: |
Taiyo Kogyo Co., Ltd. (Tokyo,
JP)
|
Family
ID: |
15773000 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/044,375 |
Filed: |
April 7, 1993 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Jun 1, 1992 [JP] |
|
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4-163391 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
446/466;
446/468 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H
17/262 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63H
17/00 (20060101); A63H 17/26 (20060101); A63H
017/26 (); A63H 017/36 () |
Field of
Search: |
;446/466,468,460,469
;280/666,667,670,691,696,673 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Yu; Mickey
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Bartlett & Sherer
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A steerable vehicle toy, comprising:
a body having a wall portion;
a guide hole in said wall portion;
a steerable wheel mounted on an axle;
an upright member on which said axle is fixedly mounted;
an upright holder disposed below said guide and rotatably
supporting said upright member to permit rotation of said upright
member during a steering operation;
an upwardly extending rod having a lower portion fixedly mounted to
said upright holder;
said rod having an upper portion movably guided in said guide
hole;
a spring acting upon said upright holder to bias said upright
holder downwardly away form said guide; and
a single swing arm having two ends, one end being pivotally
connected to said body, and the other end being pivotally connected
to said upright holder;
said wheel being guided by said rod and said single swing arm for
upward movement with substantially no inclination.
2. The vehicle toy of claim 1, wherein:
said upright holder rotatably supports said upright member by means
of a king pin; and
said king pin is inclined upwardly and inwardly with respect to
said body.
3. The vehicle toy of claim 1, wherein said rod is upwardly and
inwardly inclined with respect to said body.
4. The vehicle toy of claim 1 wherein said rod extends upwardly
through said guide hole and terminates in an enlarged head above
said guide.
5. The vehicle toy of claim 1, wherein said spring comprises a
compression spring interposed between said upright holder and said
guide wall.
6. The vehicle toy of claim 1, wherein said rod is upwardly and
inwardly inclined with respect to said body, is slidably movable
through said guide hole, and in conjunction with said single swing
arm confines said upright holder to move upwardly and downwardly
relative to said body without inclining said wheel.
7. A steerable vehicle toy, comprising:
a body having a wall portion;
a guide in said wall portion;
a steerable road wheel mounted on an axle, said axle having an
axis;
an upwardly extending rod having an upper portion slidably guided
in said guide;
a rotatable connection between a lower portion of said rod and said
axle to permit steering rotation of said axle relative to said body
during a steering operation;
a spring biassing said rod downwardly through said guide; and
a single swing arm having two ends, one end being pivotally
connected to said body, and the other end being pivotally connected
to said lower portion of said rod, said ends having pivotal axes
extending transverse to the axis of said axle;
said rod and said single swing arm guiding and constraining said
wheel to move vertically with essentially no inclination of said
wheel.
8. The vehicle toy of claim 7 wherein said rotatable connection
comprises a support on which said axle is fixedly mounted, and
said support is rotatably mounted on the lower portion of said
rod.
9. The vehicle toy of claim 8, wherein said rod is slidable through
said guide, and said rod is upwardly and inwardly inclined with
respect to said body.
10. The vehicle toy of claim 8, wherein said rod extends upwardly
through and beyond said guide and terminated in an enlarged head
above said guide.
11. The vehicle toy of claim 8, wherein said spring is a
compression spring surrounding said rod and interposed between said
guide and said support.
12. The vehicle toy of claim 8, wherein said support is retained on
said rod by a shoulder on said rod above said support and a stop on
said rod below said support, said other end of said swing arm
pivoting on said stop.
13. The vehicle toy of claim 8, wherein said support is retained on
said rod between an upper shoulder and a lower stop on said rod,
said other end of said swing arm pivoting on said stop.
14. The vehicle toy of claim 7, wherein said rod is upwardly and
inwardly inclined with respect to said body, extends freely through
and above said guide hole, and in conjunction with said single
swing arm confines said wheel to move upwardly and downwardly
relative to said body without inclining of said wheel.
15. The vehicle toy of claim 7, wherein said rod is upwardly and
inwardly inclined with respect to said body.
16. The vehicle toy of claim 7, wherein said rod extends upwardly
through said guide and terminates in an enlarged head above said
guide, and said spring comprises a compression spring interposed
between said guide and said rotatable connection.
17. The vehicle toy of claim 7, wherein said rotatable connection
comprises an upright member on which said axle is fixedly mounted,
and an upright holder rotatably supporting said upright member to
permit rotation of said upright member during a steering
operation.
18. The vehicle toy of claim 17, wherein said upright holder
rotatably supports said upright member by means of a king pin, and
said king pin is inclined upwardly and inwardly with respect to
said body.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle toys and their suspension
systems, particularly the suspension of steerable road wheels.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, since vehicle toys are subjected to the influence of a
rough road surface in travelling, some of the vehicle toys are
provided with a suspension system for connecting a body of the
vehicle toy with wheel axles thereof through springs, links and
shock absorbers so as to absorb road shocks. In this way, the
vehicle toy itself is protected from road shocks which are also
damped to improve the vehicle toy in roadability. Heretofore, the
suspension system employed in the vehicle toy has been, for
example, a swing-arm type, a double-wishbone type, a rigid-axle
type, or the like.
As shown in FIG. 11 of the accompanying drawings, a suspension
system 100 of a swing-arm type is an independent mechanism provided
in each of opposite sides of the vehicle toy. In this system 100, a
swing arm 104 has one end pivotally connected with a chassis 102,
and rotatably supports at its other end an upright member 108. A
steerable wheel 106 is mounted on the upright member 108 through a
wheel axle 105. A spring 109 is interposed between an upper portion
of the chassis 102 and the other end of the swing arm 104. Although
the suspension system 100 of this swing-arm type is simple in
construction, the system 100 is disadvantageous in that an
inclination of the wheel 106 to the vertical becomes large when the
swing arm 104 moves up and down.
As shown in FIG. 12 of the accompanying drawings, a suspension
system 110 of the double-wishbone type is an independent mechanism
provided on each of opposite sides of the vehicle toy. In the
system 110, each of a pair of swing arms 112, 112 has one end
pivotally connected with the chassis 102, and pivotally supports at
its other end an upright holder 114. Supported by this upright
holder 114 is an upright rotatable member 116 to which a wheel 106
is rotatably mounted. A compression spring 118 is interposed
between an upper portion of the chassis 102 and the upright holder
114. In this double-wishbone type suspension system, there is no
inclination of the wheel 106 when the pair of the swing arms 112
move up and down. However, in construction, this system is complex,
which leads to a high cost thereof which is a disadvantage of this
system.
As shown in FIG. 13 of the accompanying drawings, in a suspension
system 120 of the rigid-axle type, a connecting axle 122 connects
left and right wheels 106, 106, and rotatably supports at its
opposite end portions a pair of upright members 124, 124. Mounted
on these upright members 124, 124, through a pair of axles 105,
105, are the left and right wheels 106, 106. A pair of compression
springs 126, 126 are interposed between an upper portion of the
chassis 102 and the opposite end portions of the wheel axle 122. In
this rigid-axle type suspension system, there is no inclination of
the left and the right wheel 106, 106 when the wheel axle 122 moves
up and down. However, since the left and right wheels 106, 106 move
up and down as a whole at the same time, the suspension system does
not function properly and is disadvantageous when the vehicle toy
is subjected to an inclining force produced during cornering of the
vehicle toy, which inclining force causes the vehicle toy when of a
high-speed type and an off-road type to tend to overturn.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved
vehicle toy suspension system for independent suspension of
steerable wheels.
It is a further object of preferred embodiments of the present
invention to provide a vehicle toy with a wheel suspension system
which can function independently on either side of the vehicle toy,
produce no or very little inclination of the wheel when the vehicle
toy moves up and down, and is fairly simple in construction.
According to the present invention, there is provided in a
suspension system of a vehicle toy for connecting a body to a wheel
axle (on which a wheel is mounted) independently on each of
opposite sides of the body, the improvement comprising an upright
member on which the axle is fixedly mounted, an upright holder for
holding the upright member so as to permit it to rotate in steering
operation, a rod which has a lower portion fixedly mounted on the
upright holder and has an upper portion guided in a guide formed in
an upper-portion side of the body, a compression spring interposed
between the upright holder and the guide, and a swing arm which has
one end swingably connected to the body and its other end swingably
connected to the upright holder.
The upright member may be rotatably supported by the upright holder
through a king pin which has its upper end inclining towards a
center of the body.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided in a suspension system of a vehicle toy for connecting a
body to a wheel axle (on which a wheel is mounted) independently on
either of opposite sides of the body, the improvement comprising a
wheel supporting portion on which the wheel axle is fixedly
mounted, a rod which holds at a lower end the wheel supporting
portion so as to permit the wheel supporting portion to be
rotatable in a steering operation, the rod having an upper end
guided in a guide which may be formed in an upper side portion of
the body, a compression spring interposed between the wheel
supporting portion and the guide, and a swing arm which has one end
pivotally connected to the body and has its other end pivotally
connected to a lower end of the rod.
In the suspension system of the present invention, since the motion
of the upright member is limited by both (i) a circular path of an
end portion of the swing arm as the swing arm pivots up and down,
and (ii) the guide which guides the upper end of the rod, the wheel
mounted on the upright member may move up and down without any, or
any substantial, inclination.
Further, when the upright member is rotatably mounted in the
upright holder through a king pin having its upper end inclined
towards the center of the body, it is possible to move the center
of circular steering motion of the wheel in the steering operation
I to a location near a center of the wheel. This makes assembly of
the vehicle toy easier, and also improves the straight-ahead
travelling properties of the vehicle toy.
Further, in a particular embodiment of the suspension system of the
present invention, since the motion of the wheel supporting portion
is limited by both of a circular path of an end portion of the
swing arm being pivoted, and the guide which guides an
upper-portion of the rod through a side portion of the body, the
wheel supported by the wheel supporting portion may move up and
down without any inclination. In addition, since the wheel
supporting portion and the upright holder may form an integral
entity in construction, the suspension system can be made
relatively easy in construction and assembling thereof.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a steerable vehicle toy comprising a body having a wall
portion, a guide in said wall portion, a steerable road wheel
mounted on an axle, an upwardly extending rod having an upper
portion slidably guided in the guide, a rotatable connection
between a lower portion of the rod and the axle to permit steering
rotation of the axle relative to the body during a steering
operation, a spring biassing the rod downwardly through the guide,
and a swing arm having two ends, one end being pivotally connected
to the body, and the other end being pivotally connected to the
lower portion of the rod.
Preferably, the rod is upwardly and inwardly inclined with respect
to the body, and in conjunction with the swing arm confines the
wheel to move upwardly and downwardly relative to the body without
inclining of the wheel.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention
will become more fully apparent from the following detailed
description of the preferred embodiment, the appended claims and
the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings:
FIG. 1 is a front view of a vehicle toy, illustrating the
suspension system of an embodiment of the present invention, a part
of the suspension system being broken away and shown in
section;
FIG. 2 is a partial front view mostly in section illustrating a
simplified version of the suspension system of the vehicle toy of
the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a similar view to FIG. 2 illustrating a condition in
which the wheel of the suspension system moves upwardly relative to
the body of the vehicle toy;
FIG. 4 is a side view of the vehicle toy of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a plan view of the vehicle toy of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the vehicle toy of FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a front view of the vehicle toy of FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a wheel axle of the embodiment of
FIG. 1;
FIG. 9 is a partial front view mostly in section illustrating the
construction of the suspension system of a vehicle toy of a further
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a view illustrating a condition in which the wheel of
the suspension system shown in FIG. 9 is lifted;
FIG. 11 is a view illustrating the suspension system of the
conventional swing-arm type;
FIG. 12 is a view illustrating the suspension system of the
conventional double-wishbone type; and
FIG. 13 is a view illustrating the suspension system of the
conventional rigid-axle type.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown in
FIGS. 1 to 10.
The present invention will first be described with reference to the
embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a view illustrating in
construction a suspension system of a vehicle toy of the present
invention. FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a condition in which a
wheel of the suspension system shown in FIG. 2 moves up.
Incidentally, only one side of the suspension system will be
described, the other side being the same but a mirror image.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a suspension system 10 of a vehicle toy
of the present invention is provided with mechanisms which operate
independently of each other on opposite sides of the vehicle toy,
each mechanism connecting a wheel axle 13 to a chassis or body 14.
The wheel axle 13, on which the wheel 12 is rotatably mounted, is
fixedly mounted in an upright member 16 which is rotatably mounted
in an upright holder 18. Pivotally connecting this upright holder
18 and a lower portion of the body 14 is a swing arm 20. Fixedly
mounted on an upper portion of the upright holder 18 is a lower end
portion of a rod 22 which has its upper end portion guided by a
guide 24, such as a hole or the like, formed in an upper side
portion of the body 14. Mounted on and encircling this rod 22,
between the upright holder 18 and the guide 24, is a compression
spring 26 which exerts its resilient force so as to bias the
upright holder 18 away from the guide 24.
In this suspension system 10, since the upright holder 18 is
pivotally connected to the body 14 through the swing arm 20, and
the lower end portion of the rod 22, fixedly mounted to an upper
part of the upright holder 18, is guided by the guide 24 formed in
the upper portion of the chassis 14, the upright holder 18 is
limited in motion by both (i) a circular path of an end of the
swing arm 20 as the swing arm pivots and (ii) the guide 24 guiding
the upper portion of the rod 22. Consequently, the wheel 12 mounted
on the upright member 16 held by the upright holder 18 may move up
and down substantially without any inclination.
Now, a vehicle toy according to the invention and provided with a
suspension system having the above construction will be described
in greater detail with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 4 to 8.
In FIGS. 1 and 4 to 8, the vehicle toy 30 of this embodiment of the
present invention is a truck toy which can be remote-controlled
through a radio control. The truck 30 is provided with an upper
body 32 forming a top side of the vehicle body and molded of
plastics or the like, and a lower body forming a chassis 34
supporting the upper body 32 disposed thereon, the chassis 34
forming a bottom side of the vehicle body. These upper and lower
bodies 32, 34 as a whole are formed into a predetermined shape
imitating a truck and like vehicles being large in height. Provided
in the interior of the vehicle toy are a printed circuit board
having a receiver circuit for the radio control, and a battery as
an electric power source supplying an electric current to the
receiver circuit and a motor of the vehicle toy. A bumper 36 is
provided at the front of the chassis 34 and a drive unit 38 is
mounted at the rear of the chassis 34, the drive unit 38 being
provided with a drive motor and a transmission mechanism. Right and
left front steerable wheels 40b, 40a are connected to the front of
the chassis 34 through a suspension system 42 which operates
independently on opposite sides of the vehicle toy. Left and right
rear wheels 44a, 44b are mounted on opposite ends of a drive axle
of the drive unit 38. The left and right front wheels 40(a), 40(b)
and the left and right rear wheels 44(a), 44(b) are all so formed
as to have the same diameter, and are provided with a tread pattern
in their outer peripheral portions, the tread pattern having a
plurality of small projecting portions. A small wheel 46 is
provided in a central portion of the rear side of the drive unit
38. The small wheel 46 can be brought into contact with the ground
surface (i.e. that shown in FIG. 4 by a solid line E) together with
the left and right rear wheels 44a, 44b in a condition in which the
forward end of the vehicle toy 30 is lifted way off the ground
during travelling.
The suspension system 42 described above is provided with
mechanisms which operate independently of each other on opposite
sides of the vehicle toy, each mechanism connects the left or the
right front wheel 40a, 40b to the body 34. Each front wheel 40a,
40b is rotatably mounted on a wheel axle 52 which is fixedly
mounted on an upright member 50 which is rotatably supported by an
upright holder 54.
As shown in FIG. 8, the wheel axle 52 is provided with a head
portion 52a for preventing the wheel from dropping off, an axle
portion 52b for rotatably mounting the wheel thereon, an inner end
formed into a plate-like portion 52c having upper and lower flat
surfaces, and a through-hole 52d in a central portion of this
plate-like portion 52c.
The upright member 50 is inserted inside a mounting portion 54a of
the upright holder 54, which portion 54a forms a channel-like shape
in section. The upright member 50 is rotatably mounted on a king
pin 56 provided through such inserted portion. This king pin 56 is
disposed inside (toward the vehicle body) a center line A of each
of the left and right front wheels 40a, 40b; the king pin is lined
up with a line (i.e. a king pin axis B) which at its upper end is
slightly inclined to a center of the vehicle body; and, the king
pin penetrates the mounting portion 54a of the upright holder 54,
the upright member 50, and the through-hole 52d of the inner end of
the wheel axle 52. The king pin axis B intersects with the ground
surface at a point B'. A point A' (at which the center line A of
each of the left and right front wheels 40a,b intersects with the
ground surface) is closer to the point B' than to a point C'
outside (toward the vehicle body) each of the left and right front
wheels 40a, 40b. A lower end portion of this upright member 50 is
connected to an outer end of a steering rod 58 (see FIG. 6).
A swing arm 60 connects the upright holder 54 and a lower portion
of the chassis 34 pivotally. Namely, the swing arm 60 has one end
pivotally connected to a pin 62 provided in a lower portion of the
upright holder 54, and has its other end pivotally connected to a
supporting portion 64 provided in a lower part of the chassis 34.
Fixedly mounted to an upper portion of the upright holder 54 is a
lower end portion of a rod 66, a head 66a being formed on the upper
end of the rod 66. The rod 66 is inserted freely through a hole 68
formed in an upper side wall of the lower body 34 with the head 66a
above the hole 68. This hole 68 functions as a guide. A compression
spring 70 is mounted on the rod 66 between the upright holder 54
and the lower body 34, and exerts a resilient force on both the
upright holder 54 and the chassis 34 so as to separate them from
each other. In a condition in which the compression spring 70 is
expanded to its maximum limit, the head portion 66a of the rod 66
abuts on a portion (in which the hole 68 is formed) of the chassis
34 to prevent the spring 70 from being further expanded beyond its
limit.
In the suspension system 42 of the vehicle toy 30 having the above
construction, since the upright holder 54 is rotatably connected to
the lower portion of the chassis 34 through the swing arm 60, and
the upper end portion of the rod 66 is guided through the hole 68,
the motion of the upright holder 54 is limited by (i) the circular
path of the outer end of the swing arm 60, and (ii) the guiding of
the rod in and through the hole 68. Consequently, the front wheels
40a, 40b can move up and down without any inclination.
Heretofore, it has been considered ideal for the center of circular
motion (i.e. directional turning) of a road wheel in a steering
operation to be close to a center of the wheel, i.e. close to the
point A' on the ground surface. For this it is necessary for the
king pin to be provided in the interior of the wheel. However, this
makes the construction and assembling of the vehicle toy difficult.
In order to solve this problem, it is necessary in practice to
dispose the axis of the king pin in a location apart from the
wheel. However, in the suspension system 42 of the present
embodiment, since the axis B of the king pin 56 is so inclined as
to have its upper end inclined towards the center of the vehicle
body, it is possible to dispose the point B' (at which the axis B,
forming a center of the circular motion of each of the front wheel
40a, 40b, intersects with the ground surface) in a position closer
to the point A' (at which the center line A of each of the left and
right front wheels intersects with the ground surface) in
comparison with the point C' disposed outside (toward the vehicle
body) each of the left and right front wheels. In addition, it is
also possible to dispose each of the upright member 50, the upright
holder 54, and the king pin 56 at a location (toward the vehicle
body) slightly apart from each of the left and right wheels 40b,
40b, which makes the assembling work of the vehicle toy easier.
Further, due to the inclination of the axis B of the king pin 56,
during a steering operation, each of the front wheels moves down as
viewed from a side-surface side of this mechanism. As a result, a
force (which urges each of the front wheels to return to its
straight-ahead position at which each of the front wheels 40a, 40b
assumes its highest position) acts on each of the front wheels 40a,
40b to improve the vehicle toy in its properties of straight-ahead
travelling.
FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate a construction of a suspension system of
another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a view
illustrating a condition in which a wheel of the suspension system
shown in FIG. 9 moves up. This suspension system will be described
as to only one side, the other side being the same. Parts of the
suspension system corresponding to the parts shown in FIGS. 2 and 3
are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in FIGS. 2
and 3.
In FIGS. 9 and 10, a suspension system 80 of the vehicle toy of
this embodiment is provided with mechanisms which operate
independently of each other on opposite sides of the vehicle toy,
and each of which mechanisms connects the wheel axle 13, on which
the wheel 12 is rotatably mounted, to the chassis or lower body 14.
The wheel axle 13 is fixedly mounted on a wheel support 82 which is
rotatably mounted on a lower end portion of a rod 84. The wheel
support 82 is rotatably mounted on the rod 84 between a shoulder
84a (which is formed partway along the rod 84) and a stop 86
fixedly mounted on the lower end of the rod 84. This stop 86 is
pivotally connected to the chassis 14 through a swing arm 88. In
addition, the upper end of the rod 84 is guided by a guide 24 which
may be formed by a hole or the like located in an upper side wall
portion of the chassis 14. Mounted and compressed between the
shoulder 84a of this rod 22 and the guide 24 is a compression
spring 26 urging the wheel support 82 downwardly away from the
guide 24.
In this suspension system 80, as is in the case of the previously
described suspension systems 10 and 42, the wheel support 82 is
limited in motion by a circular path of the outer end of the swing
arm 88 in conjunction with the rod 84 being guided through the
guide 24. Consequently, the wheel 12 can move up and down
substantially without any inclination. In addition, in this
embodiment, since the wheel support 82 is an integral part
replacing the upright member and the upright holder of the previous
embodiment, the vehicle toy of this embodiment is simpler in
construction and easier in assembling.
Incidentally, in the embodiments described above, the suspension
systems 10, 42, 80 are described as applied to front wheels.
However, it is also possible to provide each of the rear wheels
with any of the suspension systems 10, 42, 80. Further, the guide
24 is so described as to be the hole through which the rod passes,
the hole being formed in the upper portion of the chassis 14.
However, the guide 24 may assume any form or construction, e.g. a
collar, sleeve, rockable member, or the like, provided that it is
positioned in the vehicle body to guide the upper portion of the
rods 22, 66, 84.
It is possible to apply the suspension system of the present
embodiments to any travelling toy having a desired construction.
Therefore, it goes without saying that the suspension system of the
present invention is applicable to any types of vehicle toys.
It will be appreciated with the above described embodiments that
suspension mechanisms are provided on both sides of the vehicle toy
and operate independently of each other. These suspension
mechanisms may be at the front and/or the back of the vehicle
toy.
It will also be appreciated in the above described embodiments,
that by having a rotatable connection between a lower portion of
the rod and the wheel axle to permit steering rotation of the axle
relative to the body during a steering operation, in conjunction
with a pivotal connection between the swing arm and the lower
portion of the rod, together with the inclination of the rod and
the sliding movement of the upper portion of the rod through the
guide in the body, the geometry of the movement of the wheel axle
can be controlled to prevent, or substantially prevent, inclination
of the wheel while it moves up and down relative to the body.
The above described embodiments, of course, are not to be construed
as limiting the breadth of the present invention. Modifications,
and other alternative constructions, will be apparent which are
within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the
appended claims.
* * * * *